


Finding Their Way Home

by Foxdemonsrock



Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series), Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Action, Crossover, Dick centric, Friendship, Gen, Team Dynamics, Teamwork, Teen Titans team, The Light, Whump, Young Justice season 1, Young Justice team, boom tubes, bridflash bromance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-07
Updated: 2013-01-06
Packaged: 2017-11-24 00:24:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 19,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/628182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Foxdemonsrock/pseuds/Foxdemonsrock
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Young Justice team gets transported to a strange dimension during a fight against the Light. What will this new dimension hold for them? And just what is Titan Tower? Will they be able to get home?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Down the Rabbit Hole

**Author's Note:**

> Thoughts are italicized. Things that are italicized and underlined are spoken through the mindlink.

"Robin!" Miss Martian cries as the Boy Wonder skids across the ground from being kicked yet again in the stomach by Ra's al Ghul. Kid Flash quickly looks over to his best friend as the building rocks again from another explosion. They had found the base of the Light, which was in the side of a mountain, just like their own base. It took lots of digging and interrogations from captured members from the League of Shadows, but they had finally located the organization that had been behind most of the disasters they had come across. Robin gets up exhaustedly, but Ra's was already upon him, and grabs the Bird's cape, pulling him up.

"We have use for you, Boy Wonder." The leader of the League of Shadows states, starting to drag the bird of Gotham off. Robin quickly pulls out a birdarang, and spins around, throwing it at the villain's hand. Ra's drops the cape to avoid being cut and jumps back.

"We should end this before the League shows up." Queen Bee states, dodging the whip made from water that Aqualad sent her way. Robin whips out his bow staff and his eyes widen as Superboy drops to the ground with a green glowing crystal sticking out of his stomach and a very pleased Lex Luthor standing over him. The acrobat tries to rush over to help him, but Ra's steps in front of him, slicing at him with his katana. Robin blocks the blow with his staff, and kicks at the centuries old villain, trying to trip him. Ra's flips backwards, and blocks the bird's path to his teammate yet again.

"Miss M! Help Superboy! You need to get the rock as far away from him as possible!" The Boy Wonder calls out to the martian, all while countering the slices Ra's kept sending his way.

"Got it!" Miss Martian calls back, quickly flying to the aid of her boyfriend. She shoves Lex away from the clone with her telekinesis and was about to pull the shard of kryptonite out of Superboy, but a pink bolt of lightning strikes her, sending her crashing into the wall. Klarion grins summoning another spell to hit her with, when Kid Flash knocks him out of the way. The speedster quickly takes out the kryptonite as Artemis supplies cover fire with her arrows.

"I'm finishing this.  _Now_." Klarion growls before muttering an incantation. Kid Flash glances back to his best friend, making sure he was alright, but gasps, seeing the bird struggling in Ra's al Ghul's choke-hold. The ginger speeds over, and kicks Ra's away, catching his best friend as he coughs, trying to catch his breath. Klarion finishes the incantation and the teen's eyes widen as the ground underneath them starts to shake. A boom tube opens up behind them, and a wind tunnel starts sucking them in. The young heroes desperately grab onto anything they can to hold themselves down, but the force picks up, finally dragging all of them in. Ra's glares over to Klarion irritatedly.

"You fool. We were supposed to keep the bird  _here_." The witch-boy shrugs nonchalantly.

"Oops." Vandal Savage smacks the back of Klarion's head, glaring.

"Go get him back before the Bat finds out he's gone."

"Ugh. Fine. You guys are such party poopers anyway!" Klarion groans before muttering the same incantation, and steps through the boom tube after the young heroes.

* * *

The next thing the teens knew, they were dragging themselves up off of the hard concrete of what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse. None of them, however, recognized where they were.

 _Is everyone alright?_  Miss Martian's soft and concerned voice comes through the six teens' minds. Before any of them could answer the martian, the ground starts to shake yet again.

"Everyone, brace yourselves." Aqualad calls out, pulling out his water barrers as the rest of the team follows suit. The wall to their left explodes into a pile of rubble. The teens dodge to the right for cover as a large, gray creature emerges through the hole, roaring with rage.

"Something tells me he's not friendly." Kid Flash states, getting in a defensive position.

"Whatever gave you  _that_  idea, Kid Obvious." Artemis grumbles, knocking one of her arrows and pointing it at the monster.

"We don't know what it's intentions are, or its weaknesses. Everyone be careful." Aqualad orders.

"Aren't we always?" The speedster grins, looking over to his best friend for support. His smile instantly fades, seeing the bird missing. They hear Robin's signature cackle in the darkness. "I hate it when he does that." Kid Flash mutters, speeding off towards the creature as the rest of the team follows suit. One of Artemis' explosive arrows lodges itself into the creature's chest. The stone monster stumbles back at the impact and roars again when several of Robin's explosive birdarangs get lodged in its back, head and chest as well. Superboy charges into action as the creature stumbles again. The clone jumps into the air, and lands a powerful blow into its chest. Before any of the others could resume attack, a teenaged voice that was unfamiliar to all six teens calls out, causing them all to look in the direction it originated.

"Titans, go!" All of a sudden, several round, green bolts of energy fly out from the opening in the wall, crashing into the creature. A giant green T-Rex runs up, slamming its head into the stone monster, trying to knock it over. Aqualad looks over to his team cautiously, holding his water barrers up defensively.

 _We do not know if these newcomers are friend or foe. Hold off on any attack until we find out more information._ The Atlantian orders. The teens nod in confirmation as another group of teens emerge from the hole in the wall.

"Take Cinderblock down." The unfamiliar voice from earlier commands. A woman with long orange hair and glowing emerald eyes and hands starts throwing green energy bolts at the dubbed 'Cinderblock' as a man who looked as though he were half machine fires what appeared to be some kind of cannon towards it. While Cinderblock cries out, a small teen, wearing red tunic, green tights, black and yellow cape, and an all too familiar domino mask runs at the villain with a bow staff. He jumps into the air gracefully, dealing a devastating blow to the creature's head as the green T-Rex uses its tail to trip the colossal beast. Cinderblock falls to the ground with a echoing crash as the Young Justice team stares on cautiously. Robin drops down from the shadowy rafters, standing up next to Aqualad. Kid Flash jumps from the bird's sudden appearance, and glares over to his best friend.

"Dang it, Rob! Will you stop with the ninja moves?" The other teens instantly focus their attention on them, raising their guard instantly.

"Were you the ones who released Cinderblock?" The smaller teen in the green tights states, taking a step forward, clearly the leader. A woman with short purple hair in a deep blue cloak, wearing a black leotard appears from the shadows as the T-Rex quickly transforms into a small green boy with green skin, hair, and eyes and pointy ears.

"We do not know of whom you speak." Aqualad states calmly, taking a step forward as well. Before the other team leader could speak again, a pink bolt of energy shoots out at him, causing him to jump back. Robin quickly looks to the origin of the bolt, and starts to move, but the other team take it as a sign of aggression. The teen in the green tights throws an object at the bird, strangely similar to a birdarang. Robin easily dodges, glaring over at the other teen.

"It's Klarion! He followed us here, obviously."

"He could be with you, for all we know. You're coming with us for further questioning." The other teen snaps, crossing his arms. He glances back to the woman in the blue cloak. "Raven." She nods, her eyes glowing white as she puts her hands to her temples. A shadow springs towards them, but Robin quickly throws a birdarang at her. Raven uses another shadow to fling it aside, but it explodes, causing her to cry out as she gets flung off to the side. Aqualad glares at Robin as the other teens move to attack.

"Robin! I never gave the order to engage! Stand down!" The Atlantian frowns, seeing the bird wincing as he holds his chest, gasping for air. "Robin?"

"We can't let them take us in…not with Klarion-" The bird suddenly collapses as his team rushes over to him, suddenly forgetting the other teens, who had instantly frozen.

"Robin!" Kid Flash calls out, reaching his best friend first. He places a hand on his unconscious friend's chest and frowns when he holds it up. Instead of dry like it should have been, it was wet and red with blood. "He's bleeding. When did that happen?"

"It must have been Ra's." Artemis states, nodding to Miss Martin, who flies over to him.

"I can try to heal him a little, but I don't know how severe the damage is." Before the other team can move to help, another pink bolt flies from the darkness, and strikes the ceiling above them, causing it to start to collapse.

"You will have to heal him later. We have to get out of here first." Aqualad states, quickly looking for an exit. Superboy picks up their fallen bird effortlessly, sending a death glare to the other team before following the Atlantian who had already found their exit. The rest of the Young Justice team follows, making their way out of the warehouse as it collapses. Once outside, they pause, staring up at the large buildings in the city before them in horror. Just where the heck were they?


	2. Is This Wonderland Or Some Horror Movie?

"What are we going to do? Those guys in the costumes want to kill us, Klarion is here apparently, and wants to kill us, and we can't just take Rob to the hospital! Where are we anyway?" Kid Flash rambles nervously, looking around before setting his sights on his best friend. Superboy follows his gaze, looking down at the bird in his arms.

"He's warm…warmer than humans should be…and his pulse is increasing." The others glance over in the clone's direction in shock.

"He's probably going into shock. Who knows how long he's been hiding that wound….stupid Bats." Artemis grumbles, crossing her arms. "What he  _needs_  is a hospital."

"If we do that, those SuperCreeps will find us!" The ginger exclaims, his arms flailing wildly. Artemis raises an eyebrow.

"SuperCreeps?"

"What? They just started attacking us for no reason!" Kid Flash glares at the archer, crossing his arms as well. Before they could start arguing again, Aqualad cuts them off.

"We should not waste our time arguing. What we need to do is-" An explosion off to the side interrupts him. The five teens whip their heads in the direction of the noise. Their eyes widen, seeing a large black, gooey, blob slithering towards them.

"Ok. What the  _hell_  is that?" Artemis exclaims, whipping out her bow and knocks an arrow from her quiver. The monster suddenly separates into five more blobs and starts racing towards the heroes.

"Everyone tread carefully. We do not yet know what these creatures are." Aqualad states, pulling out his water barrers. Superboy's grip on Robin tightens protectively as the rest of the team creates a protective arch around them. "Make sure they do not get close to Robin."

"You got it!" Kid Flash calls out, lowering his goggles to get ready for the attack. The creatures let out an earsplitting shriek before lunging for the six teens.

* * *

Batman waits impatiently at Mountain for the Young Justice team to call, constantly checking for any kind of transmission. They should have called by now. The plan was for them to distract the Light long enough for the League to show up. However, the plan had gone wrong. The League had not been able to track the team, or get in touch with them. Batman had made several attempts to make contact with them, but received no response. What was the most concerning was that he could not reach his partner. Red Tornado walks up to him and places a comforting hand on the Dark Knight's shoulder.

"They will contact us when they can. Perhaps they have not found the Light yet." The robot tries to reason, but Batman brushes the android's hand off.

"Robin contacted me the moment they found the Light. His signal was cut off before he could get the whole message through." The Bat starts typing quickly on the main computer, pulling up his partner's message. It read: 'RaG, LL, QB, K, VS, tB, OM'. Red Tornado looks up at the screen curiously.

"Have you figured out what the message means?"

"I think they're initials…probably listing the members of the Light." Batman's eyes narrow. "I plan on having a visit with the first name on the list."

"And who would that be?"

"Ra's al Ghul." With that, Batman spins on his heel and stalks out of the room, heading for the zeta beam transporter.

* * *

The Titans make it out of the building before it crumbled. With the help of Beast Boy and Raven's powers, they were also able to drag out the unconscious Cinderblock in time as well. Starfire looks back at the rubble sadly as Robin calls the police to inform them of Cinderblock's location.

"Friend Robin…why did those strange people call one of their friends 'Robin'?" She asks, glancing back at their leader. Robin's eyes narrow as he quickly scans the area for any sign of where they could have headed.

"I have no idea…but we need to find out. This could be one of Slade's tricks."

"Well, they couldn't have gotten far. I-" Before Cyborg could finish his sentence, they hear an explosion coming from nearby. "Or maybe they're right there."

"Whoever they are, we can't let them destroy our city. Capture them so we can interrogate them." Robin commands, taking off towards the explosion with his team close behind.

* * *

Once the Titans reach the area where the explosion originated, they were greeted with a sight that none of them were expecting. The unconscious boy that the other team had called 'Robin' was halfway engulfed into one of the enormous black blob creatures as the large, muscular, raven haired teen tried desperately to free his friend. The silver haired teen rushes over to them, trying to help yank the boy out.

"Robin!" The redhead boy calls out in a panic, suddenly appearing next to his other two comrades and trying to help in any way possible. The small teen who was engulfed in the goo stirs, and screams in shock when he sees the creature trying to eat him. He reaches into the goop to reach his utility belt, and pulls out an explosive birdarang, setting it off in the depths of the creature. The monster shrieks as the bomb erupts, blowing half of its gooey body away. The young raven haired boy flies into his friends, who stumble back, scrambling to catch him. They help the injured teen try to steady himself just as the two female members of the team make their way over to them. The green skinned girl quickly hugs the young boy as he winces slightly.

"I-I'm ok, Miss M." She lets him go, her eyes watery.

"Are you sure? You passed out and you're bleeding! What happened?" Robin sighs, wincing slightly, which doesn't go unnoticed by the rest of his team.

"Ra's is what happened. He got a hit in…but I dressed the wound. Fighting that…thing must have irritated it. I'm fine now, though." Artemis eyes him critically.

"Let us see the wound and we'll be the judge of that." Before he could retort, another one of the blobs grabs his shoulder, yanking him back into the gooey mass. "Robin!" The archer quickly knocks an arrow, firing it at the creature, but the arrow simply absorbs into the goo. Suddenly, a black shadow goes into the creature, grabs their bird, and pulls the boy out. A green ball of energy shoots out at the monster, causing it to explode. The team instantly looks over to where the attack came from to see the teens that they had run into at the warehouse. Robin coughs roughly, blood trickling out of his mouth, before collapsing. The girl in the deep blue cloak catches him, frowning as she feels how hot his skin was. She glances over to her leader, looking rather concerned.

"Robin. We need to get him medical attention quickly." The Young Justice team's eyes widen in shock as the teen in the green tights nods in agreement.

"We'll take him back to the Tower." Superboy takes a step forward threateningly.

"You're not taking him anywhere! Get your hands off of him!" He roars, about to attack. Aqualad places a restraining hand on the clone's shoulder, looking up at the other teens.

"Sorry, but we are in a strange city and do not yet know who to trust. We have been attacked every step of the way upon arriving." The other team leader nods in understanding.

"Why don't we all go back to our base and talk about this. Your friend obviously needs medical attention, and we can help." Aqualad nods slowly, dropping his hand from the clone's shoulder. Kid Flash shoots him a nervous look. Aqualad meets his gaze, nodding in confirmation.

"We do not have much of a choice. Robin needs medical attention and they are willing to help."

"I hope we can trust them…for Rob's sake." The ginger whispers, starting to follow the other team who had already started walking.

"As do I." Aqualad states quietly, following after them as well.


	3. Introductions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For clarity's sake, I'm going to start calling Young Justice Robin, Dick and leave TT Robin as Robin. :P Though, the team and stuff still call YJ Robin, Robin.

 

Kid Flash stares up at the giant tower shaped like a 'T' with an eyebrow raised. "Seriously? You guys live in a massive 'T' and you're called the Titans? That's so cliché." Artemis snorts.

"Do you even know what that word means?" Kid Flash glares over at her.

"Of course I know what that means! Dude! So not cool!"

"If you two are done bickering, we should get your friend to our infirmary." Raven states, eying the unconscious bird in Superboy's arms. Superboy glares over at her, clutching their youngest teammate tighter. Raven frowns. "You're going to crush him." Before the clone could retort, Kid Flash speeds over, trying to smooth things over.

"How about I take over, Supey?" Superboy stares at him for a moment before finally relinquishing his hold on their broken bird. Robin glances over at the strange team members critically.

"Raven, lead them to the infirmary and start treating him." Raven nods, leading the speedster into the depths of the tower as the rest of the Young Justice team unconsciously hovers closer to each other for comfort as Robin leads the way into the tower. Beast Boy eyes them curiously.

"Um. We have video games if you want to play." Superboy cocks his head to the side innocently.

"Do you have the gray snow game?" Beast Boy stares at him blankly, looking over to Cyborg for help. Artemis rolls her eyes, walking up next to the clone.

"Sorry. He's new to the gaming world. KF has only brought over one gaming system and game." Beast Boy nods slowly as Robin steps forward, looking up at the massive computer screen in front of the window overlooking the city in the main living area.

"Alright. I've checked the scanners and we weren't followed." He turns away from the screen to face the other team. "Now I believe an explanation is in order." Starfire frowns, floating forward.

"Perhaps we should introduce ourselves first. I am Starfire." She gestures to the green skinned boy who was standing next to the teen who appeared to be half android. "This is Beast Boy, and next to him is Cyborg. Raven took your other two friends to the infirmary." She then gestures to the teen in the green tights. "And this is Robin." Miss Martian smiles warmly, floating forward as well.

"It's so nice to meet you! Are you an alien as well? I'm from Mars!" Starfire's eyes light up excitedly.

"Oh! How wonderful! I am from Tamaran!" Miss Martian nods enthusiastically.

"I've heard of that planet! It's in the Vegan system, correct?" Starfire nods, giggling happily, glancing over at Robin.

"We should have a glorious feast for our guests!" Robin raises an eyebrow, eying their so called 'guests' calculatingly.

"Fine. Just…let Cyborg do the cooking."

"But I want them to try some of the delicacies on my planet!"

"I think we should save that for later." Robin states nervously before clearing his throat, looking at the new team again expectantly. Aqualad nods in understanding, taking a step forward.

"My name is Aqualad, leader of the Young Justice League team." He gestures to Megan. "This is Miss Martian." He then gestures to the green clad archer. "Artemis." The Atlantian finally gestures to the clone. "And this is Superboy. Kid Flash was the one who carried our Robin."

"I see…and who was this Klarion person?" Robin asks, getting straight to business. "And those black creatures that were after you?" Aqualad nods slowly.

"Klarion is a powerful agent of chaos in our world. Our only guess is that he sent those creatures after us. What we cannot figure out is why he is after our Robin." Beast Boy rolls his eyes.

"Who  _isn't_  after a Robin." Robin sends a glare at his teammate who shrugs. "What, dude? I was just being honest!" Starfire looks between everyone, and decides to try to ease the tension.

"Come! Let us give you a tour of our wonderful home! You may also check on your friend!" Robin nods in agreement before disappearing into the shadows. He wanted to have a word with this other bird in private.

* * *

Once Robin's wound was cleansed and redressed, Raven starts an IV with antibiotics. Kid Flash watches anxiously, never leaving his best friend's side. "He'll be alright…right?"

"Yes. If he is anything like our Robin, then he is very strong." She frowns, eyeing the small boys still form. "How old is he?" Kid Flash looks over at her curiously.

"Thirteen." Her eyes widen. "But he's been doing this longer than any of us…think he said he was nine when he first started."

"So young…" Kid Flash shrugs.

"He's been through a lot." Raven raises an eyebrow.

"You know who he really is…don't you?" He looks away.

"Yes. But no one else knows…and the rest of the team doesn't know that I know either…he doesn't want to be treated differently."

"I can relate." Robin states from the doorway, causing Kid Flash to jump. The bird glances over at Raven. "Thank you for taking care of him." She nods, getting the hint, and heads out the door, dragging a protesting Kid Flash with her. Robin approaches the sleeping bird. "I know you're awake." Dick smirks, cracking his eyes open.

"Was I that obvious?"

"No…I just know all of your tricks."

"Is that so?"

"Dick Grayson. Correct?" Dick sits up slowly, eyeing Robin critically.

"I take it you're and I are the same person?"

"Answer the question."

"Damn. Why do I have a stick up my ass in another universe? I hope I don't get like that when I grow up!" Robin's eyes narrow.

"I was never this immature."

"Whatever. I'm adorable." Dick's smirk widens as Robin's glare deepens, clearly not amused.

"You almost got yourself killed." Dick shrugs, looking around the room curiously.

"Eh. I've had worse. Dude. You seriously need to redecorate. It's so dreary in here."

"Your friends are worried about you."

"They always are. That's nothing new. I'm the youngest, so they're always super overprotective. It's ridiculous, really. I've been doing the hero thing longer than they have." Robin raises an eyebrow.

"Why are you not the leader?" Dick sighs, wincing slightly from the wound.

"Long story."

"We have time."

"Not really."

"Dick-"

"It's Robin. Where's Bats?"

"Not here."

"Obviously." Dick rolls his eyes, getting out of bed, frowning up at the IV. "Are you done with your interrogation?"

"Hardly."

"Well, then we'll have to talk later. Team's coming." Robin's eyes dart to the door, hearing Starfire chatting happily with the new team. The kid was good.

"Later."

"Sure, sure. Don't get your tights in a twist." Robin's eyes narrow. "Nevermind." Dick grumbles, already looking for an escape from the room. He hated being confined.

* * *

Ra's al Ghul looks up from his book as he hears a creak come from the other side of the study. A dark shadow appears from the darkness, towering over the villain. "Detective…I wasn't expecting you to come so soon." Bruce glares down at Ra's, picking him up from his chair by his silk shirt.

"Where is my son?" He nearly growls, causing Ra's to blink.

"Ah. Yes. Your bird. You realized he was gone sooner than expected."

"So you know where he is."

"It was an accident, really. He wasn't supposed to be sent with them. Klarion is fetching him as we speak." The Dark Knight tosses Ra's back into the chair roughly, almost sending the man toppling over.

"Not good enough. Exactly  _where_  is he?"

"It's very complex." Bruce towers over him once again, cracking his knuckles.

"I have all night. Unfortunately, you don't."

"I understand you are upset. However, we are in the process of getting him back. There is no need for violence." Batman glares darkly.

"Oh, there's a need for violence alright. You sent  _Klarion_  to get him. With him going after my son, there is no guarantee he won't be brought back in one piece. So, I'll only ask you one more time before I decide to start breaking bones. Where." Bruce picks up Ra's once again, who stares up at the Dark Knight, feeling the wrathful aura radiating off of the Bat. "Is. My. Son." He hisses in Ra's face. Ra's swallows thickly, starting to get nervous.

"I cannot simply disclose that information."

"Oh, you  _will_."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder! Dick= YJ Robin and Robin= TT Robin

"And here is the infirmary!" Starfire announces, opening the door. The team pauses, looking between the two birds. Robin was glaring slightly at the young boy as Dick smirks smugly, his eyebrow raised at the older bird. Kid Flash peers around Starfire and beams at his best friend.

"Rob! You're alright!" The speedster rushes up to Dick, tackling him into a crushing hug. Dick's breath hitches as he winces. Kid Flash instantly pulls back, looking him over. "OhmyGod! I'm so sorry! Are you alright? I didn't mean to-" Dick smacks the back of the ginger's head, rolling his eyes.

"Take a breath KF. I'm fine." The acrobat mutters, smirking.

"Sorry. But, Dude! You passed out  _twice_. That's kind of a big deal." Dick shrugs casually, waving his hand dismissively.

"I've had worse. No big deal." Miss Martian floats in as well, and beams, hugging the small bird.

"I'm glad you're alright! We were all so worried about you!" Aqualad nods in agreement, crossing his arms.

"Next time you are injured, you need to inform us."

"Sorry. Guess it's a Bat thing." Dick mumbles, rubbing the bandaged wound on his chest absently. Beast Boy peers in and looks between the two birds curiously, not missing the fact that Robin was still glaring at his smaller counterpart.

"I guess you guys have met…" Robin glances over at him and nods.

"There is still much that we need to discuss." Dick rolls his eyes.

"Always so serious. Look, we don't know how we got here. We're clearly in another dimension since we've all never heard of Jump City. I know Bats has a protocol for this sort of thing, so if you just talk to him-"

"We're not getting him involved." Robin snaps, suddenly towering over Dick. The thirteen-year-old's eyes narrow up at him.

"I'm calling Batman."

"You will do nothing of the sort." Dick takes a step towards him defiantly.

"Try and stop me." The others look around nervously, not liking the sudden tense atmosphere in the room.

"We can try to figure something out. With the technology we have here, we should be able to help send you home." Cyborg states, trying to ease the tension.

"I don't know what happened between you and Bats, but it doesn't involve us. If talking to him is what helps get us back, then I'll contact him myself." Dick states, causing Robin's glare to deepen.

"You don't even know how to get a hold of him in this universe. That is, if you are in another universe like you suspect."

"Oh, I have my ways. If you know what you're doing, it's rather simple to find a Bat." Dick states, casually walking back over to the bed. "So, are we captives or what? I, for one, would like to get some fresh air."

"That's not going to happen until we find out why this Klarion person is after you." Dick glowers up at his older counterpart.

"So, we're prisoners."

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to." Dick hisses, pulling out his holo-glove. Robin eyes the technology curiously as Dick types quickly. Robin's eyes narrow, recognizing the code the young acrobat was entering.

"Are you hacking the tower?"

"I'm bored. What else do you expect me to do? You're obviously not going to let me train, I'm not allowed outside, and I've probably already beaten all of the video games you have here. I just want to see how it works." Robin goes to snatch the glove away from Dick, but Dick pulls out a birdarang. Aqualad steps between them, placing a hand on Dick's shoulder.

"Perhaps we should give our Robin a tour of the facility. There is no need to start any violence." Robin nods slowly, glancing at Cyborg.

"Go with them. Make sure he doesn't touch anything." Cyborg smirks.

"Got it. It's been a while since someone has riled you up like this." Robin bristles slightly before heading towards the door.

"I'll start working on a way to get them back." Dick hops off the table and was about to start heading for the door when he pauses, looking up at the IV drip.

"Um. A little help?" Raven sighs, walking forward to disconnect him from the IV. She then leans forward to check the bandages.

"You may have them fooled that you are fine, but I know better. Don't push yourself too hard or else the wound will open up again." She whispers before drifting out of the room. Dick frowns slightly before looking back up at the rest of the team. Starfire stays next to Miss Martian, the two happily exchanging recipes as Superboy stands by the martian stoically. Kid Flash was chatting with Beast Boy as Aqualad and Cyborg stare at the young bird expectantly.

"Right. Guess we should go then?" Aqualad nods.

"And remember that we are guests here. Please try to behave yourself." Dick pouts.

"He started it."

"It does not matter who started it."

"It's not my fault that he's got a stick up his ass." Dick grumbles, causing Kid Flash, Beast Boy, and Cyborg to snort with laughter.

"Robin." Aqualad states firmly, causing Dick to deflate slightly.

"Sorry. I promise I won't hack anything." The Atlantian nods before leading the way out of the room.

* * *

In the halls, Dick walks next to Cyborg, looking up at him curiously. Cyborg senses the gaze, and glances down at the curious bird.

"What's up?"

"I've never seen this kind of technology before. The kind of thought that went into this…." Dick muses in awe. Kid Flash catches up to his best friend, draping an arm around his shoulder and glances up at Cyborg.

"Sorry. He tends to geek out when he finds some tech that he hasn't taken apart yet." Dick pouts.

"I can't help it. Bats always encouraged my hacking. I managed to hack into Watchtower in two seconds flat when I was nine." The group of heroes grow silent, staring at the bird in shock.

" _Seriously_?" Artemis exclaims, putting her hands on her hips. "And you didn't get in trouble for that?"

"Nope." Dick shrugs. "He just said that he would need to upgrade security. He even let me help write the program." Cyborg's eyes widen.

"Nine years old? That's so young! You seriously wrote the security system for THE Watchtower?"

"Yup~!" Dick beams. "We've upgraded since then, of course, and added to it." He smirks mischievously, glancing up at Cyborg again. "Want me to help upgrade your systems?" Before Cyborg could answer, Aretmis steers the bird away and towards Kid Flash.

"Just ignore him." She mutters, smacking the back of Dick's head. "Stop trying to hack things!"

"But I'm  _bored_." The lights suddenly flicker before going off completely. They all turn to Dick who stares up at them innocently. "I didn't do it!" Cyborg frowns, opening a control panel on the wall and starts typing rapidly.

"Something's wrong. I've never seen readings like this before." Robin appears behind them, causing all of them to jump except for Dick.

"Your  _friend_  is outside the tower." He states, glancing directly at Dick. "If Klarion is really after your Robin like you believe, he should stay inside where it's safe." Aqualad nods in agreement.

"Miss Martian. Link us up and stay with Robin." She nods, putting her hands to her temples.

"We're all linked up."

"With this many on our side, we should be able to bring him down quickly." Aqualad states as they all start heading for the door. Dick sighs, looking up at Miss Martian.

"Guess it's just us."

"Wrong." A familiar voice states from behind them. The two jump, turning around to see Klarion grinning at them. Miss Martian tries to contact the others, but she cries out in pain as a large tiger tackles her to the ground. "Good work, Teek'l! Now we just need to catch the bird." He looks to Dick, but frowns seeing him missing. "I see you want to do this the hard way." Klarion's hands glow red as he looks around the shadows for the hidden bird. A birdarang flies out of the darkness, but Klarion puts a shield up, blocking it.

The Lord of Chaos starts muttering a spell, but a birdarang embeds itself in the floor in front of him. He rolls his eyes, about to continue with the spell, when suddenly the birdarang explodes into a flash of light, blinding him. Klarion cries out, covering his eyes as his shield drops. Dick appears in front of him and roundhouse kicks him in the face. The acrobat kicks him in the stomach as well, sending him crashing into the wall. Before he could get another blow out, the giant tiger charges at him. Dick dives to the side and quickly shoots his grappling hook towards the ceiling. Klarion gathers his bearings, slicing the rope with his magic. Dick cruses, having been midair and tuck and rolls on the round, and ducks behind the sofa as Klarion fires an onslaught of energy bolts.Teek'l hurtles over the sofa, growling deeply as he lunges for Dick's leg. The bird whips out his bow staff, and hits the tiger in the nose and jumps back. His eyes widen as his back bumps into none other than Klarion. Dick spins around, smacking the bow staff into the Lord of Chaos' legs but hisses in annoyance as the magician had disappeared before the blow landed. Klarion appears behind him, grabbing him by the neck.

"Robin!" Miss Martian calls out, about to fly over to help, but the supercharged Mr. Tinkles growls, lunging at her once again.

"The others never said that you would be a handful." Klarion grumbles, squeezing Dick's throat slightly. The bird squirms, coughing slightly before grinning. Klarion raises an eyebrow. "What's so funny?" His eyes widen as he hears a beeping very close to him. Just as he was about to jump out of the way, the explosive birdarang Dick had dropped between them goes off, sending them both flying in opposite directions. Klarion curses under his breath, getting up slowly as Dick struggles to get up on the other side of the room. "That's it! This ends now. Just for that, I'll make you live your worst nightmare!" Klarion hisses before muttering a spell. Dick finally manages to get on his feet shakily, coughing up blood, but his eyes widen in horror as the spell completes. His knees buckle as he falls to the ground limply. Miss Martian screams in dismay, seeing flashes of blood, two broken and bloodied bodies on the ground of what appeared to be a circus, Two Face holding a metal baseball bat while grinning darkly, and senses feelings of emotional and physical agony coming from Dick. She hears the others in the mindlink start to scream as well, and she quickly severs the link before rushing up to Dick who started trashing on ground. She hovers over him protectively as Klarion and Teek'l slowly make their way over to them. "Get out of the way. I just need to collect him, and then I can get out of this dismal dimension."

"What have you done to him?"

"Nothing that he hasn't already experienced. Now, move." Her eyes narrow.

"No." Before he could act, the rest of the team and the Titans barge into the room, all ready for battle.

"Another time then." Klarion disappears with his familiar as the Young Justice team run up to their bird, who was withering on the ground.

"He had a decoy outside…ugh! And we fell for it to!" Artemis growls, as Kid Flash kneels down next to his best friend. Dick lets out a heart retching sob and all eyes shoot to him sadly. "Isn't there anything we can do?" Kid Flash shakes his head morosely.

"I've seen him like this before when he got hit with Scarecrow's new fear toxin…the only thing that calmed him down was Batman."

"He's not here." Superboy states, frowning deeply.

"Maybe it doesn't have to be  _our_  Bats." The speedster suggests, glancing over at Robin. The older bird huffs, crossing his arms.

"We're not calling him. He'll be able to calm himself down."

"Eventually. But at what cost?" Kid Flash snaps, glaring up at Robin. "Call him."

"….Fine." Robin storms out of the room as Kid Flash tries to calm Dick down.


	5. Savior

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder! Dick=Young Justice Robin; Robin= Teen Titans Robin. Also, Bruce=YJ Bats and Batman= TT Bats

Robin returns to the room sullenly, clearly not happy about calling the Dark Knight. Miss Martian kneels beside Dick along with Kid Flash, both of them trying to calm him down or even awaken him from the nightmare.

"Do you think I should try to enter his consciousness?" The martian asks timidly.

"That's really dangerous for you, and him right now…" Kid Flash states quietly. "We all only got a few flashes of what he's seen…He's from  _Gotham_. That place is a city of nightmares…We don't know what it would do to you, Beautiful." Kid Flash states sadly before trying to hold down Dick's arms as he thrashes again, screaming something in a language none of them could understand. Robin visibly tenses, turning away.

"I'll go check on Batman's location." With that, he disappears from the room again.

"What are we supposed to do? We can't just let him suffer like this!" Artemis growls, rubbing her temples in frustration.

"There's nothing we  _can_  do." Kid Flash nearly whispers in dismay. Dick lets out another heart retching sob, tears slowly trickling down his cheeks. Robin appears back in the room with Batman towering over him forebodingly. The Dark Knight's eyes instantly flick over to Dick, his eyes narrowing. He walks over to the withering bird and crouches down beside Dick, uncomfortably.

"Robin…It's alright." He reaches out slowly, and gently touches Dick's shoulder. Dick cries out in terror.

"Nu! Nu mă atinge!"  _No! Don't touch me!_ Batman's posture stiffens and his eyes dart back to Robin, who was standing back in the corner, staring intently at the ground. Before Batman could say any more, a Batarang flies at his hand. The Dark Knight quickly dodges it, glaring in the direction that the projectile came from. The rest of the teens' head whip around in the same direction, shocked by the sudden intrusion.

"Get away from my  _son_." A deep voice hisses viciously as the Bat familiar to the Young Justice team steps out of the shadows.

"Bats? How did you get here?" Kid Flash exclaims, his eyes wide with shock. Bruce ignores him, stalking over to the other Bat. Batman rises to his feet, his eyes narrowing.

"This is not your dimension. You have no right to tell me what to do." Bruce's infamous glare intensifies, causing the temperature of the room to plummet. The teens shift uncomfortably, all becoming increasingly nervous.

"Step aside before I  _make_  you." Bruce growls, his hand twitching towards his utility belt. Dick cries out in agony again, catching he billionaire's attention. He shoves the other Bat out of the way, and kneel down next to his son. Bruce pulls Dick into his arms, trying to calm him down, but Dick's thrashing only increases as he starts to panic. Miss Martian lets out a soft sob, hiding her face in Suberboy's broad shoulder. The waves of torment and despair coming from their youngest member was overwhelming her senses. "Everyone out." Bruce orders. They all start to slowly make their way to the exit. "Except Kid Flash." Wally looks back at him nervously, but nods, hanging back. "How long has he been like this?"

"A few hours…Klarion did something to him…Some kind of spell." Bruce nods, gently brushing the ebony bangs out of Dick's face.

"Este bine acum, fiule. Sunt aici."  _It's alright now, son. I'm here._  Bruce whispers as he scoops Dick up, carrying him over to the sofa. He carefully sits down with his son cradled in his arms. Dick whimpers softly, his thrashing slowly starting to ease.

"T-Tati?"  _Daddy?_ Dick rasps out quietly, his hand reaching out shakily and clutches the bat on Bruce's uniform.

"Sunt aici ... A fost doar un vis ... nu voi lăsa pe nimeni să te-a rănit din nou.  _"_ _I'm here...It was just a dream...I won't let anyone hurt you again._  Bruce states comfortingly, carefully removing Dick's domino mask. Dick relaxes slightly, his breathing starting to steady.

"B-Bruce…Ma doare ..."  _Bruce. It hurts_. Dick whimpers softly before slowly slipping into unconsciousness. Bruce frowns, noticing the blood stain on his son's costume.

"What happened?" He demands, looking right at Kid Flash. Wally looks away fearfully, starting to fidget anxiously under the infamous DaddyBats glare.

"Well…Y-you see…He passed out when we got here…We later found out that he got stabbed by Ra's al Ghul during our fight against the Light…He hid it from us, and the wound got infected." The speedster flinches, feeling the temperature of the room drop from the sinister, killer, aura radiating from the Bat. "Don't worry! He's better now…Well, for the most part. He probably tore open the wound again though. Klarion tricked us all and created a double for us to fight outside while the real one attacked him in here. Megan called us back in, and we found him like…Well…You saw..."

"Get on with it."

"Right. So, for some reason, Klarion has been trying to kidnap Dick. He sent these weird blob things after us, and one almost got him! We can't figure out what he wants with him, but it can't be good." Bruce nods, getting off the sofa, still cradling his son protectively.

"Take me to the infirmary. I'll have to stitch up his wound." Wally nods, starting to head for the door. "West." He stiffens, looking back at the Bat, who no longer looked as if he was going to rip someone's throat out. His eyes trail down to his best friend, who was curled up comfortably in his father's arms; his hand still clutching the Batsymbol on Bruce's chest. "Thank you." Wally stares at him in shock, his jaw slackened.

"F-For what?"

"Taking care of him. The others had no idea what to do, but you kept calm and told them to contact the other Batman. If I hadn't arrived when I did, Dick's best option would have been him."

"Oh…Um…No problem, err, Sir. He's my best friend. We have to look out for each other." Wally states shakily before heading for the door. "How did you get here so fast anyway?" He looks back at the billionaire curiously, only to be ignored completely. He frowns, sighing heavily, before heading out of the room towards the infirmary.

* * *

Artemis looks to Megan, her arms crossed. She wanted some answers as to how Robin was in such a terrible state when they arrived back in the Tower. Normally, the young teen was always so strong. To see him like that…It was disturbing, to say the least. Not to mention those terrible visions they all had seen through the mind link. Had Robin really been experienced all of that? Miss Martian picks up on her troubled thoughts and meets her gaze. "What the  _hell_  happened?" Artemis demands, drawing the attention of the rest of the team.

"It was a spell. Klarion essentially trapped Robin inside his own mind. It was only to knock him unconscious…Though, I don't believe anyone realized how…Hostile…Robin's mind is."

"That's an understatement!" Artemis rages, throwing her arms up for emphases. "He's only  _thirteen_! How the hell could he have suffered  _that_  much? It's just not right!"

"We know very little about Robin's personal life and history. Perhaps this was the reason why. He did not want us to treat him any different." Aqualad interjects.

"It's just so messed up! If he's suffering that much, he should have told us! We could help!"

"I don't think he wants our help." Superboy states. "Not everyone likes to share all of their problems with everyone." Artemis looks away, knowing all too well the truth in that statement.

"Do you think he'll be alright?"

"He is with Batman now. He should be just fine." Aqualad confirms, looking back towards the main room in concern.

* * *

Batman's eyes narrow as he towers over Robin. "You should have called sooner. There were intruders in this dimension and you didn't inform me."

"We could handle it." Robin grumbles defiantly.

"Clearly not."

"Like you care."

"Any interdimensional travelers need to be reported to the League immediately.  _We_  are to deal with it."

"It's  _our_  city. You have no business here. We only needed you to calm the kid down. One of their enemies did something to him. Not that you would  _actually_  be any help. You don't even care about  _me._  Why the hell would you care about a me from another dimension?" Robin hisses, clenching a fist.

"I never said I didn't care about you…"

"You  _fired_  me and kicked me out of Gotham! It was my  _home_! You honestly thought I would still think you cared?"

"I've been keeping tabs…Making sure you were safe…" Batman states, trying to calm his bird.

"Oh, because that makes  _everything_  better! God, Bruce. You never even called to make sure I was alright. I had to move to another city, where I knew  _no one_."

"You handled yourself well. Your team has been keeping this city safe."

"That's all you care about, isn't it? About the job. You know what? Just go back home. You're not needed here. Between our technology and the  _other_  Batman; I'm sure we can figure things out. Besides, he  _actually_  cares about his protégé. He'll probably do everything he can to make sure he gets home safely along with his team." Batman frowns as Robin turns on his heel, starting to storm off.

"We aren't finished here!"

"Oh, we've been finished for a long time." With that, Robin disappears back into the shadows to meet back up with the rest of his team.

* * *

Beast Boy looks around at the rest of the team, except for Robin, in curiosity. Their leader had disappeared with his mentor looking rather angry, and everyone was been unusually quiet. "So…Weird day…"

"Do you think their Robin will be alright?" Starfire asks quietly, looking back at the door sadly. Her heart broke every time the young teen would let out a sob of despair. "He was so very sad…How can someone so young be so sad?" Cyborg sighs, leaning against the wall.

"Not everyone has had a wonderful childhood, Star. We're heroes for a reason. Sometimes, those reasons are out of a great tragedy."

"Should we go check on him?"

"We should let his team check on him first." Raven states, not looking up from her book. Sees Bruce walk into the infirmary, a protective hold on his bird, as Kid Flash trails behind like a duckling following its mother. The shapeshifter raises an eyebrow at the scene.

"Weird. The other Bats is super parental. Did you  _see_  how he looked at our Bats? He looked like he was going to rip his throat out! But our Robin and Bats are anything but…Robin looks like he wants to punch him or something…"

"I noticed that too." Raven states, turning the page in her book. "There was much tension and anger between the two from our dimension. But the other two…The other Batman had nothing but love and concern for his Robin."

"I guess that's why our Rob is so cranky." Beast Boy jokes, earning a snicker from Cyborg.

"Friend Robin is not cranky! He is a good leader who is very professional!" Starfire defends. Best Boy rolls his eyes.

"You only say that because you have a crush on him." Starfire blushes, looking away as Cyborg chuckles.

"Anyway, I'm going to start working on a way to get them home. I doubt the others want to be stuck here any longer than they need to."

"Can I help?" Beast Boy bounces up and down excitedly.

"No. You'll just break something." The shapeshifter deflates, pouting.

"No I won't!"

"You nearly destroy the kitchen every time you cook." Raven adds boredly. Beast Boy looks away.

"Fine. Guess I'll take first watch for that magician freak." He states dejectedly, starting to head for the roof entrance. With the target of the attacks down for the count, they wanted to make sure that Klarion couldn't get through their security as easily again. None of them wanted to face the wrath of DaddyBat.  _That_  version of Batman was downright terrifying.


	6. Compromise

Dick stirs slowly, holding his head in pain. His eyes snap open when he feels his domino mask was no longer on his face. He tries to sit up, but a warm, firm, hand gently pushing him back down. "It's alright." Bruce states softly, causing Dick to look up at him in shock.

"Bats? Are you the one from the other universe?"

"No. I questioned Ra's until he told me where they sent you." Dick nods slowly before pulling Bruce into a hug. His breath hitches as he tries to fight back his tears. "It's alright son…" Bruce whispers, pulling his bird in closer. "I won't let him anywhere near you again." He hisses protectively, his eyes narrowing dangerously. Dick nods, sniffling.

"Sorry…"

"For what?"

"Being weak…I should have been able to fight that spell." Bruce ruddles Dick's hair.

"Don't be stupid. There was nothing you could have done. Even Clark would have been bawling." Dick giggles softly, wiping his eyes.

"Seeing the Big Man cry would be kind of funny…" Bruce nods, smirking, as he helps wipe his son's tears. His eyes trail down to the fresh bandages on Dick's chest and his eyes narrow. Dick looks up at him curiously, cocking his head to the side.

"It's nothing. Just remembered that I need to pay another visit to Ra's when we get back." Dick raises an eyebrow.

"What for?"

"Don't worry about it." Bruce's eyes shift back to the stark white bandages, but this time, Dick catches it. Dick frowns, looking down at his wound.

"It's wasn't even that severe. Plus, it doesn't hurt anymore."

"I gave you pain medication." Dick pouts, crossing his arms.

"You're overreacting. I'm fine."

"It was infected."

"It's getting better."

"Not good enough." The two stare at each other, neither one budging. They hear a soft knock on the door and Bruce sighs, handing Dick back his domino mask. "You still need your rest. Don't push yourself too much." Dick nods obediently, placing the mask back on his face.

"Thank you." Bruce ruffles his son's hair affectionately before opening the door. The Dark Knight frowns at Robin, who looks away uncomfortably under the billionaire's intense gaze.

"Is he awake?"

"Yes."

"…Can I talk to him? In private…" Bruce eyes him critically, not wanting to move. Dick sighs heavily at his adoptive father's protective behavior.

"It's alright, B. I'll be fine." Bruce nods, slipping out the door as Robin enters. He sits down in the chair next to the bed as Dick stares at him curiously. "What's up? Don't tell me Klarion is back already."

"No…you and him…you seem close…"

"Yeah…he's the closest thing I have to a father…" Robin frowns, staring at the ground.

"It reminds me of how Bruce and I used to be…we were close until Joker shot me in the shoulder…he said I couldn't handle it and fired me…banned me from Gotham…my  _home_. I tried to call him so many times, but he never answered. So, I came here and started the Titans…I was so grateful to have friends…it proved to me that I didn't need him…" Robin jumps when he feels Dick's small hand over his. He looks up to see the smaller bird staring at him intensely.

"Don't think that he ever stopped caring about you. Bruce has a strange way of showing his emotions…he probably did it to protect you…the last thing he wants is for you to turn out like him."

"He made me  _leave_  my  _home_! I had  _nothing_! How can you say he cares? He just saw me as a burden! I was slowing him down and he regretted taking me in!" Robin's eyes widen when Dick's fist connects with his cheek. "What the hell?"

"You don't understand the way he thinks. He was terrified when you got shot…he wasn't there to protect you and it haunts him even to this day. Bruce sent you away to protect you from  _himself_." Robin glares, balling a fist.

"You don't know that! How do you expect me to believe that? You're only  _thirteen_. You're still just a child."

"I know because Bruce almost did the same to me when Two-Face nearly killed me. He turned his back for a second, and Two-Face had already captured me…it took him two days to find me… _two days_  of being tortured by that freak…Two-Face wanted me to beg for death, but I wouldn't. I knew that Bruce would find me. When he did, he put Two-Face in a body cast for three months…but that's not the point. The point is, once most of my wounds were healed, we got into a massive argument. He wanted me to step down because he didn't think he could protect me. It wasn't about me not being capable of the job. He was terrified of loosing me. Ultimately, I won the argument. I'm guessing that in this universe you didn't." Dick gets up, glaring down at Robin. "And don't  _ever_ call me a child. You  _know_  what I've been through. My childhood died with my parents."

"Sorry…I just get so angry when I see how he is with you…my Bruce is so cold…" Dick smacks the back of Robin's head, rolling his eyes.

"Because you don't know how to read him. It's what KF and I call 'Bat-Speak'. It's an art. When you spend so much time with him, you tend to catch on." Dick smirks. "I'll teach you the basics."

"What makes you think I want to get to know him again?"

"Because you're in here, talking to me, instead of being with your team." Robin slumps back in the chair dejectedly.

"How do you read him?" Dick grins, sitting back down on the bed.

"Alright. You may want to write some of this down."

* * *

Bruce raises an eyebrow, seeing Batman listening in on their birds' conversation. "You let him win an argument?" Batman states, frowning over at the alternate Bat.

" _You_  try telling him no."

"I did."

"And he hates you for it. I figured the best way to protect him is to keep him close. If I let him go off on his own, he would only get himself hurt. He has far too much energy for his own good."

"Robin turned out just fine…" Bruce raises an eyebrow skeptically.

"At least my  _son_  still talks to me." He smirks, before walking off as Batman glares after him.

* * *

Klarion walks into the decrepit clock tower, looking around in disgust while petting Teek'l. A daggers flies out towards his head from the shadows, but he quickly puts up a shield to block it. "I'm looking for someone to help me catch a certain little bird." A figure steps out into the light, wearing a black and orange mask and black and grey armor.

"What makes you think I work with anyone?"

"You are a mercenary, are you not?"

"How much are you willing to pay?" Klarion smirks.

"Enough. The fact is, the Titans and some others are always ruining my plans. My comrades have big things in store for the bird and since you are an expert…"

"Looks like you have yourself a deal." Klarion grins as Teek'l purrs happily.

"Pleasure doing business with you."


	7. Slade

Dick emerges from the infirmary along with Robin, who was going over his notes. "I still can't believe there's so much…" Dick shrugs.

"I tend to notice a lot…"

"I can tell…how am I even supposed to start a conversation with him?"

"Well, you're obviously still angry about the whole thing…and don't expect a verbal apology. He hardly ever actually apologizes, but you can tell when he's truly sorry. It's a mutual understanding. Just go up to him and give him look number five, then walk away." Dick states offhandedly as they make their way into the living room. Robin flips through his notes, raising an eyebrow.

"Are you sure this is going to work?"

"Trust me." Dick walks up to Bruce, who was standing off in the corner, typing on one of the computers. He tries to peer over his father's shoulder, but pouts when he realizes that he wasn't tall enough. The young bird smirks mischievously and uses Bruce as a jungle gym, and climbs up his back to look over his shoulder. Both teams stare at the scene in horror, expecting the Bat to throw him off in a blind rage. Bruce glances over at his son, a small, amused smile on his face. Dick beams brightly, looking at the screen again. The teams all gasp, expecting the entire building to explode as Bruce continues typing as if nothing was amiss.

"I take it that you're feeling better." Bruce states, not looking away from the screen.

"Yup~! Working on a way to get us back?"

"Yes."

"I'll go get you some pizza." Bruce frowns.

"I'm not hungry."

"You haven't eaten and Agent A isn't here to feed you. No worries! KF, Supey, and I will go. That way I have backup." Dick beams, headed for the door. He pats Robin on the back in encouragement before heading out. Kid Flash beams, heading off after his best friend. He was starving, so pizza sounded delicious. Superboy shrugs, following after them. Getting fresh air was a good alternative to standing around amongst strangers.

* * *

Robin sighs walking up to his Batman, who was standing in the shadows, watching Bruce carefully. He glances over at the approaching bird and frowns.

"Is something wrong?" Robin says nothing, taking a deep breath. He looks up at his father, an angry frown upon his face. His knits his eyebrows, crossing his arms. Batman stares at him blankly, trying to figure out what his son was doing. Before he could ask anything, Robin turns on his heel, storming out of the room. Beast Boy leans close to Cyborg.

"Dude…what the heck was that about? I've never seen him like that before…" Cyborg shrugs.

"Maybe it's a Bat thing or something?" Batman stares after his son before looking over to Bruce for help. Bruce, however was ignoring him, smirking to himself as he continues to type. Batman frowns, following after his son. He catches up with Robin in the hallway, seeing him staring out one of the floor length windows thoughtfully.

"Is everything alright?" The billionaire asks, standing next to his son.

"What do  _you_  think?"

"You have a good thing here…"

"No thanks to you. What I needed was a  _father_. Not a tyrant."

"That other Robin poisoned you."

"No, he didn't. He's everything I  _used_  to be…cheerful, reckless, and free spirited…you may see him as a nuisance, but he's brilliant and strong…he's been through so much, and yet he still remains cheerful…he still believes in the good in people, while I no longer can."

"You made friends…you have a strong team…"

"They don't even know my true identity…I don't let anyone in. You didn't want me to become like you, but by pushing me away, you've done just that."

"I never meant for that to happen…Gotham was too dangerous…" Robin frowns, turning to face his father.

"No, it wasn't. You just got scared. Instead of manning up like the other Batman did, you chickened out and pushed me away."

"I didn't do it out of fear. It was to protect you. This city is far safer than Gotham." Robin rolls his eyes.

"This is pointless. You're too stubborn to admit your own mistakes. I look at them, and I see what we could have been…you see them as weak, don't you?" Batman's frown deepens as his gaze out the window intensifies. Robin raises an eyebrow, remembering this particular look. "You regret pushing me away…you  _want_  what they have."

"I never said that." Robin smirks, reminding himself to thank Dick later.

"You don't need to. Stop being such a coldhearted bastard and I may forgive you." With that, the bird walks off, his head held high. It was the first time he had ever won an argument with the Bat. Now, it was time to study those notes Dick gave him.

* * *

"Dude! What was  _that_  all about?" Wally shouts, flailing his arms madly as they make their way down the streets of Jump City.

"What are you talking about?" Dick asks curiously, glancing over at his best friend.

"Climbing all over Bats like he was an object! He could have murdered you!"

"He wouldn't do that. He doesn't mind."

"No. I'm pretty sure he would have put the fear of God in anyone else." Dick shrugs.

"I do that kind of stuff all the time. Guess I'm just too adorable for him to say anything~!" He jokes, smirking deviously. Wally rolls his eyes.

"Don't push your luck."

"It was also strategic. I gave the other Robin some advice on how to fix things with his Batman. I can hardly leave knowing that the stick would still be shoved up his ass."

"He is rather grumpy…is there really a stick up there? It must be very painful…" Conner muses, his eyebrows knitting in concern. Dick and Wally chuckle.

"It's an expression, Supey. He doesn't really have a stick up there." Dick explains.

"Oh…" Conner pauses, looking around. "Do you know where we're going?"

"No…I saw a bunch of restaurants around here when I scanned the city back in the Tower…there's  _bound_  to be a pizza place around here." Dick states, waving his hand dismissively.

"Does Batman really eat pizza?" The clone asks curiously.

"Yeah…Agent A doesn't let us have it too often…since Bats isn't allowed to cook, when Agent A goes out of town, we order pizza." The other two heroes stare at him in shock. "What?"

"Just…we all thought he was a robot that ran on coffee or something…I didn't know that he ate." Wally states seriously.

"And I didn't know that you two lived together…I knew that you two were close…is he your father?" Conner asks, causing Dick to freeze.

"Um. It's complicated."

"Hey! Look! A pizza place!" Wally calls out, trying to change the subject. Dick smiles at him gratefully, earning a small nod from the speedster. Before they could make it to the restaurant, however, the three jump back as a grenade lands in front of them, destroying the entrance.

"Well…I have to say…when he said he had a bird problem, I wasn't expecting  _you_." A man states from the shadows. The three heroes look around, each preparing for battle. Slade walks out as the smoke clears, an eyebrow raised. "Let's see how you compare to the other."

"What are you talking about? Who are you?" Dick demands, whipping out his bow staff.

"How much you amuse me will depend on how much I tell you."

"Ugh. So you're one of  _those_. So not whelming." Dick grumbles, rolling his eyes. KF, go get the others. Supey and I will hold him off."

"I'm not leaving you!"

"We'll be fine for the what, few minutes, that you'll be gone." Dick throws down a smoke bomb, disappearing into the shadows. "Go!" He hisses. Kid Flash grumbles something under his breath before taking off towards the Tower.

Superboy charges for their adversary. Slade easily steps out of the way, causing the clone to punch a part of the already crumbling wall.. The mercenary puts his arm up just in time to block a blow from Dick's bow staff. "Not bad. But you're too slow." He kicks at the bird, but Dick quickly puts the staff on the ground, and uses it to swing around and kick Slade in the head before the mercenary's foot could connect. Slade stumbles back, slightly impressed by the bird's speed. He gets ready for another attack, only to see Dick missing. The clone tries to punch him from behind, but he flips out of the way. He spins around and catches Dick's hand, that was about to punch him. Dick frowns, kicking Slade in the jaw as the flips backwards to get away. Slade grabs the bird's arm before he could steady himself and flings him into one of the crumbling walls of the restaurant. Dick cries out in pain, feeling his stitches pull.

"Superboy! Now!" He calls out, diving out of the way just as the clone tosses a gigantic chunk of concrete at the mercenary. Conner helps Dick up, frowning at the fact that the young bird's chest was bleeding again.

"You're hurt."

"I'm fine. He's taken care of anyway. Let's just get back." Just as they turn away, the two scream in pain, dropping to the ground, convulsing from the high intensity electric shock they were hit with from behind from the land mine their opponent had planted earlier. Slade smirks, crawling out of the crater the rock created, unharmed.

"Not good enough. Though, I have to say…you were rather interesting prey." His eyes widen, hearing a beeping. He jumps back just as the flash grenade Dick had planted explodes. When his vision clears, Slade frowns, seeing the two teens missing. "Interesting indeed."

* * *

Conner gently lays Dick down against a wall in an alley far away from the battle scene. "Are you sure you're alright?" Dick nods, coughing roughly as blood trickles from his lips.

"Just give me a few minutes…let me know if you hear anyone coming…just have to…rest for a bit…" Dick's head lulls to the side as his slips from consciousness. Conner frowns, knowing that the situation they were in was anything but good. He cries out in pain as a black, inky blob tackles him away from his teammate.

"Robin!" He thrashes against the creature, growling in rage when the gooey mass merely absorbs his blows. Slade drops down into the alley from the rooftop.

"I had it handled."

"I just wanted to speed things up a bit. My associates are getting rather impatient." Klarion states, materializing from the shadows. "Get the bird. I'll make sure the lughead doesn't follow." Slade slings the unconscious Dick over his shoulder, and takes off as the clone shouts after him.

"No! Get back here!"

"Sorry. We have plans for your little friend. Ra's' orders." Klarion states, sending more blob creatures at the clone. Conner puts one of the red shields on his arm from Lex Luthor, and uses his heat vision on the creatures. They explode into a gooey mess, but when he looks around for the witch boy, he was long gone.

"COWARD!" He roars, about to take off after him, when he feels a familiar presence in his head.

 _Superboy. What's wrong?_  Miss Martian asks through the mindlink she established with him.

_ Klarion and this other freak took Robin. I'm going to follow them. _

_No. I activated Robin's tracker. We will all follow them back to their hideout._  Batman's stern voice comes through, causing the clone to pause.  _I'm sending you coordinates now._ _Rendezvous_ _there in ten._  With that, the link goes quiet, no one daring to question the Bat's orders. Especially when his partner was taken. They almost had pity on the ones who took their youngest member once their Bat found them… _almost_.


	8. Complications

Dick stirs slowly, looking around the room. He frowns, seeing the man in the orange and black mask arguing with Klarion. Smirking at their distraction, he starts to try escape from the cuffs that kept him restrained to the operating gurney in the center of the dark room.

* * *

"We had a  _deal_! You can't go back on it!" Klarion whines, glaring up at the mercenary. "I  _paid_  you!"

"I never agreed to anything. And the bird is rather interesting."

"He doesn't belong in this universe! You can't keep him here! And my employers will be angry!"

"You act like I care about your employers. It was  _my_  plan that captured the bird. I have the right to keep him." Teek'l hisses as Klarion stomps his foot, throwing a tantrum.

"I don't  _care_  who's plan it was! I saw him first!" Slade rolls his eyes.

"How do you get any respect from your peers when you consistently act like a child?"

"I am NOT a child! I get respect from my power! I've  _earned_  the right to be a member of the Light!"

"How original…your organization is called the  _Light_? Who thought up that one?"

"That's none of your business! Just hand over the bird and we can be on our way!"

"Not going to happen. I want to see his potential first. You see, I am currently in the market for an apprentice and this bird fits the bill perfectly."

"He's not YOURS!" Teek'l meows, pawing at Klarion's shirt to get his attention. "Not  _now_ , Teek'l! I'm busy!" The witch boy glares up at Slade again, only to frown at the mercenary's lack of attention. Slade was staring at the bed that they had restrained the unconscious bird to earlier. Klarion follows his gaze curiously, and his eyes widen, seeing that the bed was now empty. "What…? But…he was  _right there_!"

"He clearly is not anymore."

"This is all  _your_  fault!"

"Hardly.  _You_  were the one who was being childish."

"Ugh. Let's just find him." Klarion lets Teek'l down, pointing off into the shadows. "Teek'l. Find him and bring him back in one piece." Teek'l meows, scampering off into the darkness.

* * *

Dick stumbles down the dark corridor, holding his chest in pain. He Looks back, cursing under his breath when he hears the arguing between the villains stop. "Looks like you could use some help, Kid." A figure states from the darkness. Dick squints to see who it was, but a gray, gloved hand shoots out from the shadows and grabs his arm, yanking him through a secret passageway before he even had time to cry out in shock. A hand covers his mouth, preventing the bird from saying anything. Dick glares back at the dark figure in irritation, and grabs the arm, flipping the assailant over his shoulder and slams him into the ground. The bird blinks, staring at the person he just flung to the ground as the other stares back at him in shock. "Well…that was highly unnecessary."

"Um…sorry…you were in my bubble." Dick cocks his head to the side, taking in the black body suit with a red X on his chest and a white, almost skeletal, mask with a red X on his forehead. "Uh, who are you exactly? One of the Titans?" The costumed teen scoffs, getting off the ground, and straightens his gray cape.

"Hardly. When I heard Slade captured a bird, I thought he meant the one in the traffic light costume. I came to take a peek out of curiosity. Have to admit. You're not what I was expecting." Dick crosses his arms.

"Thanks, I guess? So. Are you working for Slade?"

"No." Dick shifts awkwardly, looking around the small room that they were hiding out in. "Name's Red X, by the way."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Robin. Though, I'm from a different universe."

"Huh. Didn't know those actually existed."

"Yup. We didn't know they did either until witch boy decided to send us here."

"So, there's more of you?"

"Yeah. Six of us. So…are we getting out of here or what? This place is  _so_  not asterous. I mean, come on. Seriously? A clock tower? Who is this Slade guy?" Red X snorts, starting to snicker.

"I like you, Kid." Dick pouts, crossing his arms.

"I'm not a kid!"

"Sure, sure. Let's get you out of here before that freaky cat finds you." Red X heads to the back of the room and pushes in a panel in the wall, causing it to open up. Dick's eyes narrow suspiciously.

"I'm guessing you worked for this Slade guy for a while?"

" _With_. And very briefly." The acrobat holds his hands up in defense.

"Hey. I'm not judging, dude. Just an observation."

"Let's just go." Red X disappears through the opening, followed quickly by the bird.

"If this is a trap, I'll kick your ass." Red X snorts again.

"Good luck with that."

"Don't hate on short people! KF always calls me a ninja!" They both start laughing as they make their way through the darkness.

* * *

Teek'l trots back to Klarion and drops a throwing knife in the shape of a red X. The witch boy picks it up, frowning as he holds it up the Slade. "What is this supposed to mean?"

"It means that we have a little bit of a problem."

"What do you  _mean_ , problem?"

"It seems as though our bird had a little help escaping. But not to worry. I know of all of this little pests' hideouts."

"Good. Then lead the way." Slade smirks over at Klarion, pocketing the shuriken.

"I never said that I was going to help you find them. You want the bird, you're on your own. If I find him first, I have every intention of keeping him." With that, Slade slinks back into the shadows as Klarion growls in rage.

"You BASTARD!"

* * *

The two costumed teens follow a long, underground hallway for about a mile before finally reaching the entrance to an old mining shaft. What met them outside, however, they were not expecting. Two Bats stand in the midst of more costumed teens as one of the Bats talks quickly, and lowly. It was clear that this Bat was pissed and taking no prisoners. Dick beams over at them, relived that they had already found Slade's hideout. "Bats!" He calls out, catching the others' attention. The entire group looks over at him, but Robin quickly glares at who the bird was keeping company with.

"Red X. What are you doing here?" The teen shrugs nonchalantly.

"Thought I would check out what had the entire underground community in a frenzy. Apparently this little bird right here is very valuable. This Klarion character is paying top dollar to whoever catches him." Red X quickly puts Dick in a headlock, holding one of his X shuriken to the bird's throat. "And at the moment…that would be _me_." Dick glares back at his would-be savior and tries to grab at his captors' arms. Red X presses on the acrobats' already injured chest, causing him to cry out in pain. "Now. No one move or I slit his throat. Klarion wasn't specific as to the birds' condition."

"You lying bastard! I  _knew_  you were up to something!"

"Too little, too late, Kid." Bruce glares over at Red X, his hand twitching towards his utility belt. He shares a look with Kid Flash, who nods minutely in understanding. Catching their exchange, Red X quickly throws down a flash grenade, blinding the group instantly. When their vision cleared, the two were gone. All that was left was Dick's tracker laying on the ground. Bruce balls a fist, trying to contain his rage as he turns towards Robin.

"This is your city. Find him." Batman steps in front of Robin protectively, crossing his arms.

"Don't talk to him like that."

"My  _son_  is missing. That leaves me in charge of this mission. I may talk to him however I see fit."

"Robin isn't your partner! You have no right to treat him this way."

" _You_  have for years. He is used to this kind of behavior and knows how to react to it. Now,  _step aside_." Bruce nearly growls as Batman's eyes widen slightly. Robin stares between the two numbly, unsure what to do.

"U-Um…if Robin isn't too far away, I can try to connect to him with the mindlink." Miss Martian states nervously, not wanting to anger the already enraged Bat.

"Do it. The rest of you, check all known hideouts for this Red X. I want Robin found." Bruce hisses before disappearing, no doubt to see what he could find back at the tower.

* * *

Dick groans in pain as Red X tosses him onto the concrete floor roughly. "Nothing personal." The thief mutters, heading over to his computers.

"Yeah right." Dick grumbles, trying to escape from the rope restraints Red X had tied him up with. Unfortunately, the thief apparently knew how to tie knots, because escaping proved rather difficult and slow going.

"Don't bother. I know all of your tricks." The acrobat freezes, looking up at Red X wearily. "Judging by your personality and age, I take it you're Dick."

"That's not a nice name to call someone." Dick tries to play off, trying to focus solely on the rope. Red X snorts, starting to type on the computer.

"You always did have a sense of humor…well…until Bats kicked you out…well…the other you."

"What the hell are you talking about? Who  _are_  you?"

"In due time, Dickie Bird. First, we have to make sure Slade doesn't find us."

"Stop calling me a dick! And your nicknames are terrible, by the way!" Dick mutters, desperately trying to free himself. "What does it matter, anyway? You're just going to hand me over to Klarion!" Red X pauses, turning to face him as he leans back against the large computer.

"What does Klarion want you for?"

"Who knows. Because I'm adorable?" Dick states sarcastically, still fidgeting with the ropes.

"I'm being serious."

"Well, I don't take to being kidnapped very well. When I get out of here, you are  _so_  going down."

"Would you  _like_  to know why Klarion is after you?" Dick pauses, looking up at him curiously.

"What do you mean?"

"I think I can help you."

"Why would you do that?"

"Because I like you. And that Klarion kid freaks me out. It will be hilarious to watch his plan blow up in his face." A slow smirk makes its way onto Dick's face.

"I like the way you think. What did you have in mind? Assuming I can trust you, that is. Which you have still yet to earn."

"I don't expect you to trust me. But I know, that you know, that if you get in over your head; you'll be able to handle yourself."

"True…go on." Red X smirks as well, turning back towards his computer.

"Alright then. This will be fun."


	9. Deals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder! Dick=YJ Robin, Robin= TT Robin. Bruce= YJ Bats, Batman= TT Bats. (new) Wally= YJ KF, Kid Flash= TT KF

Klarion glowers down at the streets of Jump City, having taken a perch on a roof to try to find  _some_  clues as to where the bird had gone. "Why did they have to send  _me_ , Teek'l? I have so much more important things to do than try and hunt down this little brat!" Teek'l meows in agreement, looking down at the city as well. Just as the witch boy was about to give up and pick another spot, his communicator goes off. He takes it out curiously, and reads the message: 'I have your lost birdie. I can get it back to you, for the right price. –X' Klarion grins, hopping up from his perch. "Looks like we won't have to stay in the dreadful city any longer, after all!"

* * *

Red X glances from his computer screen back to his captive. Dick looks up at him innocently, having already slipped his hands in front of himself and was gnawing on the rope that was restraining him. Red X raises an eyebrow as the bird pouts. "Why am I still tied up anyway?" Dick grumbles. "I hate ropes."

"Because I don't trust you to not attack me while my back is turned."

"I wouldn't."

"You're a terrible liar." Dick smirks.

"I'm a wonderful liar." Red X rolls his eyes, starting to type on the computer once again. "When are you delivering me to Klarion, anyway?"

"Soon. I just need the frequency that you use to contact your Batman directly. I have the code for this Bat; I'm just not sure if it's the same as yours. After Klarion has you, I'll send the details of the mission back to him so that he can act as your backup."

"I don't need backup."

"If that freak is taking you back to where the rest of his 'friends' are, you will. I can't imagine that dumbass came up with this plan himself." Dick snorts.

"You got that right. All the top villains in one place. This should be  _fun_." Red X nods, smirking when he hears Dick's stomach growl rather loudly. Dick's cheeks dust pink as he looks away quickly. "You could have told me you were hungry."

"Shut up." The older teen shrugs and pulls out a protein bar, tossing it at the bird.

"Eat up. You're going to need your strength." Dick catches the bar, and opens it, raising an eyebrow.

"Why do you care so much?"

"I have my own reasons for helping you. Don't read too much into it, Kid."

"Ugh! I'm  _not_ a kid!" Dick growls before taking a bite of the chocolately goodness. The monitor beeps, causing the bird to look up at the screen curiously as Red X grins.

"Looks like he took the bait." Dick snickers, continuing to munch on the protein bar.

"Dumbass."

* * *

Bruce glares at the two new teens that were approaching the group in the living room of Titan Tower. "I thought we agreed that no one else was to be involved." He hisses at Robin, whose eyes narrow slightly.

"We need them. Jinx has worked with Red X in the past and knows of his hideouts. I needed Kid Flash's speed to bring her here quickly. Both of them are necessary to get your Robin back." Aqualad steps between the two apprehensively, trying to ease the tension.

"We are all worried about Robin, Batman. He was only trying to help." Kid Flash and Jinx look between all the heroes in the room curiously.

"Apparently we missed the party!" Kid Flash exclaims, rushing up to the female archer. "Why, hello, beautiful." Wally shoves the other speedster away from Artemis irritatedly.

"We're not here for fun. Our Robin was taken and we need to get him back before something happens to him!" Kid Flash holds his hands up in defense.

"Sorry, Dude. Didn't know I was such a party pooper in another universe."

"He's normally not like this. Robin is his best friend." Megan states sadly. "He is all of our close friends and we're worried about him! Can you two please help us?" Jinx nods, walking up to the computer, and pulls up a map of the city.

"There's only one that I know of. I didn't run with him for very long…since…well, I joined the Titans…" She enlarges the area of the city on the map, starting to point out locations. "Here are the entrances. We'll have to be careful. His security is ridiculous." Wally beams, pulling her into a hug.

"Thank you! Now we just have to get him back before Klarion finds him!" Kid Flash grabs the other ginger, yanking him off the pink haired teen.

"Don't get all clingy!" Wally raises an eyebrow.

"Why? Is she your  _girlfriend_?" Kid Flash and Jinx blush, shaking their heads furiously.

"No! Nothing like that!" They shout in unison as the Young Justice team smirks knowingly.

"Let's move out. Time is critical here." Bruce butts in, trying to regain control of the situation.

"He's right. Titans, move out!" Robin calls, starting to head out of the room. The rest of the teens follow suit.

"Does he have to say that every time?" Conner asks innocently, glancing over to Megan. "Is it some kind of programming?" She shrugs as they start to follow after the other costumed teens.

* * *

"Do you have the bird?" Klarion asks, eyeing Red X suspiciously in the abandoned warehouse.

"Depends on if you have my money." The witch boy sighs heavily, tossing a duffle bag in front of the teen. Red X reaches behind him and tosses the struggling and bound Dick in front of Klarion. He then takes the duffle bag, looking through it. "Pleasure doing business with you." The witch boy encases the bird in a red force shield causing Dick to growl, desperately fighting against his restraints.

"You're not going to ask who he is? This obviously isn't the bird from your universe." Red X shrugs.

"Don't know; don't care. I'm just a thief. I happened to come across him, and found out through the grape vine that you posted a bounty for him." With that, the teen vanishes back into the shadows as Klarion grins.

"Well, then. Let's get back home, Teek'l. The others will be pleased!" He cackles darkly, starting to mutter the spell to open the portal back to his universe.

* * *

Batman, Bruce, and Robin drop down into what appeared to be in the main area of the hide out while the others secure the perimeter of the building. Robin stalks up to the massive computer as the Bats search the area for any signs of movement. The bird starts trying to hack the system, cursing slightly when it takes longer than expected. "Just updated my systems. Looks like it's good for keeping hackers out." The familiar voice states from the darkness. Robin instantly spins around, whipping out a birdarang as the Bats tense as well.

"Where's Robin?"

"You got here faster than I planned. Guess you had a little outside help." Robin cries out in shock when something grabs him from behind, holding an X shaped shuriken to his throat as they spin to face the adult heroes. The Bats get ready to strike, but Red X presses the blade deeper. "We need to have a little chat first. I can't have you two attacking me while we talk, now can I?"

"What do you want?" Bruce growls, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"You see, I made a plan with your little birdie." Red X reaches behind himself with his free hand, and begins to type quickly on the computer. "I planted a tracking device on him before I handed him over to Klarion. The plan was to track him back to the source and take down the organization behind everything. This also shows you the way back to your dimension." Robin pauses in his struggling as the Bats look up at the blinking dot on the screen.

"Why are you helping us?" Robin asks.

"I'm not. I just wanted to ruin the creepy witch kid's plans. Not to mention piss off Slade. He has great interest in the newest bird in town. This way, he can't have the other Robin." Red X releases Robin, kicking him away from himself. "Besides, if I didn't want to be found, do you honestly think you would have found me?" Red X raises an eyebrow before glancing back at the screen to make sure the tracker was working. Robin takes the opportunity to elbow distracted teen in the stomach before punching him, hard, in the face. Red X stumbles back, his mask flying off. He quickly covers his face, groaning in pain. "Ugh. What the hell? I'm  _helping_  you!" Batman steps forward, his eyes wide in shock.

"Jason?" Red X whips his head up, sighing heavily as he drops his hands. Robin's eyes widen in horror as he stares at his younger, adoptive, brother.

"Jay? I thought you were dead!" Jason shrugs, leaning back against the computer casually.

"Yeah, well Ra's decided to use the Lazarus Pit to bring me back after Joker killed me. Wasn't planning on revealing myself just yet, though." Batman takes a step towards his youngest son.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jason glares darkly at his father.

"Because you didn't kill that bastard! I would have thought that you would have avenged me, but you didn't!"

"Jason, I couldn't cross that line…"

"I always thought it was because I wasn't Dick…I could never understand why you always held him up on such a high pedestal…I always resented him…he was, and always will be your favorite."

"I don't have a favorite! You were like a son to me! You still are!" Jason snorts, rolling his eyes.

"Hardly. I was just another lonely orphan…you were just using me to try to replace Dick…but no one can replace him…I understand that now…I didn't at first…you see, I came here to see the Golden Boy in action…but all I saw was a arrogant, bitter, brat. It didn't hit me until I met the younger one…he was so full of life…brilliant…he is your perfect protégé…not because he's like you…it's because he's the complete  _opposite_  of you. But it's alright. That Dickie Bird helped me finally understand it…" Batman frowns, taking another step towards his son.

"Jason-"

"Don't blame yourself. I don't blame you….especially for what happened…I solely blame Joker for my death. And I've already come up with a plan to fix everything in Gotham and in cities like it…you were wrong, Bruce…you can't  _stop_  crime…you have to  _control_  it…"

"What happened to you? You used to believe that we could  _stop_  crime and make Gotham a safe city again."

"I  _died_." With that, Jason tosses Robin a portable locating device, already locked in on Dick's signal before disappearing into the shadows. "Find him."

"Jason!" Robin tries to run after him, but the ex-bird was already gone. Bruce looks between the two, raising an eyebrow.

"Robin. Let him go." Batman orders, clenching a fist.

"But-"

"Dick needs us." Batman states before stalking out of the room. The dark aura coming from the Bat was almost tangible. Robin looks down at the tracker in his hand sadly, tightening his grip on it. Bruce walks up to the distraught bird and places a hand on his shoulder.

"You two will run into him again. You'll get your chance to get him back." Robin looks up at him sadly.

"How do you know that? Do you have a Jason in your universe?"

"No. But he helped you, not to mention told you his plans. If he had no intention of ever seeing you again, he would have never mentioned it. The fact that he didn't kill my Richard while he had him, and didn't kill you just now, shows that he still cares for you as a brother." Robin nods slowly, handing Bruce the locator.

"Thanks…" Bruce nods again, looking over the device.

"And the other Batman will come around." With that, the Bat walks out, starting to plot how to get his own bird back.


	10. Checkmate

 

Klarion skips through the portal, back to his dimension happily, with Dick in tow. The bird was still trapped inside the force shield, struggling against his restraints to try to escape. "You're just wasting your energy, Birdie." The agent of chaos sneers, before pulling out his communicator. Ra's al Ghul's face appears on the screen, looking rather expectant.

"Do you have him?"

"Yes, yes. No need to get impatient."

"It took you  _two_  days. The League is already becoming suspicious as to the Team's absence as well as the Detective's."

"Well, we have what we were after anyway. After we finish up with him, they won't have time to figure out what hit them." Klarion grins, glancing back at his captive. "Where are we meeting this time?"

"We are going to commence phase two. Meet in the lab. I'll contact everyone else. Just make sure you aren't being followed. And whatever you do; make sure the package arrives  _alive_."

"Alright, alright." The witch boy waves his hand dismissively. "See you later." He hangs up, slipping the communicator back into his pocket.

"You won't get away with this." Dick growls as Klarion rolls his eyes.

"We already have."

* * *

Bruce starts modifying the zeta transporter with the help of Cyborg and Batman as the rest of the teens huddle anxiously. Instead of being separated into two separate groups, they were merged into one. "We cannot just leave you! What if you need our help?" Starfire laments to the Young Justice team before shooting a glance over to Robin.

"This is not your burden to bear. Robin is our teammate and it is our fault for not protecting him properly." Aqualad states.

"The reason he's in the mess in the first place is because Klarion got the help of Slade. It  _is_  our problem. He may be from a different universe, but he's still a hero. We can't just sit by and do nothing." Robin steps forward, smirking. "We're coming with you. Batman already knows the coordinates, so that we can get back. If this Light organization is as bad as you say, you could use the backup."

"Yeah! We can't let you guys have all the fun!" Beast Boy cheers. Aqualad smiles gratefully, looking back to the rest of his team. They all nod in agreement. The Atlantian grins, turning to face Robin once again, and extends a hand.

"Thank you. It will be a pleasure working beside you." Robin smirks, shaking his hand.

"Same for us."

* * *

Batman focuses back on his work, having caught himself watching the teens converse. Bruce smirks, having seen the exchange in the corner of his eye. "My Robin has only been with yours for a day and a half and he's already starting to change…I've haven't seen him this upbeat in a long time…" Batman muses, looking over at Bruce. The alternate billionaire pauses his work and meets eyes with him.

"He tends to have that effect on people…why do you think I have such a hard time saying no to him? I already bought him a motorcycle…he's  _thirteen_." Bruce shakes his head slowly in shame.

"Robin used to be the same…"

"You fired him because of a bullet wound."

"I should have been able to prevent it."

"He's had worse."

"But it was  _my_  fault."

"So you  _fired_  him." Bruce raises an eyebrow, not missing the fact that Cyborg was obviously trying not to listen in, but couldn't help himself.

"It was to protect him."

"For him, it was more like a punishment. He thought you stopped believing in him."

"I didn't."

"You cut all contact with him and banned him from his home. What was he  _supposed_  to think?" Batman's eyes narrow dangerously.

"You don't know him like I do." Bruce smirks knowingly.

"On the contrary. I know him  _better_  than you do. Instead of pushing my son away, I keep him close. Yes, I slip up sometimes and he gets hurt. I will never forgive myself for that. But he forgives me…he  _always_  does. I don't deserve his kindness, but he gives it anyway. I can't imagine what I would become without him…..however, after seeing you; I think I'm starting to be able to." Batman balls a fist.

"I did it to protect him! I'm not the monster you portray me to be!"

"Does  _he_  know that? It doesn't matter what my opinion of you is. Frankly, the only two people whose opinion's matter to me are my Robin and Agent A."

"You bastard! Of course I care what he thinks! I always make sure that he's safe! It may be from the shadows, but he's made it clear that he wants nothing more to do with me!"

"Has he actually said that?" Batman pauses. "I didn't think so. We have a bad habit of making quick assumptions. You should know that Robin is one person we should never make those judgments about." With that, Bruce picks up his tools again and beings to work on the zeta beam transporter once again. Bruce: two; Batman zero.

* * *

Klarion releases the force shield, causing Dick to fall to the ground with a grunt. The bird quickly jumps to his feet, about to make a run for it, when Vandal Savage close-lines him in the throat. Dick coughs roughly, falling back to the ground, having the wind knocked out of him. He gasps, trying to catch his breath as Vandal picks him up by his bound hands and drags him towards concrete slab with restrains for each limb.

"Is everything set up?" Vandal asks, hauling the bird onto the slab. He cuts the rope, and starts to retrain him. Dick quickly twists his body, kicking Vandal in the chest. Caught by surprise, the villain stumbles back slightly. The bird hops off the slab, making a b-line for the massive computer in the room. Before he could make it, Klarion uses his magic to restrain the bird. The energy rope wraps around the teen before electrocuting him. Dick cries out in agony before going limp. "I thought he was unconscious." Vandal growls, glaring over at Klarion.

"Well, I didn't expect him to do  _that_. Ra's already stabbed him earlier, so I didn't think he would put up much of a fight." The witch boy shrugs nonchalantly.

"Lex. You get him this time." Vandal growls, walking over to the computer.

"Oh no. I'm not going anywhere near him. Ocean-Master. You get him." Lex states, having had too many negative experiences with the boy wonder. Ocean-Master sighs heavily, not understanding the other's opposition to getting the boy to the table. He walks over to the unconscious bird, about to pick him up, when Dick's eyes fly open. The bird whips out a taser, jamming it into the weak point of the villain's helmet. Ocean-Master cries out in pain, falling to the ground in a convulsive fit as Dick hops to his feet. He whips out his bow staff, holding it out to them threateningly.

"That's enough." Queen Bee states, walking into the room from the darkness. Dick's eyes narrow as he reaches for his utility belt, but Klarion rips it away with his magic. The bird slams the bottom of his bow staff to the ground, using it to vault out of the way of Klarion's next attack. Before he had a chance to make it to Queen Bee, Ra's catches the staff. He yanks it forward, causing Dick to soar towards the leader of the League of Shadows. Dick lets go of the staff, trying to jump back, but Ra's punches him in the face.

"Queen Bee. Now's your chance." Ra's states, collapsing the bow staff and toss it aside. Queen Bee smirks, looking straight at the bird.

"Robin." She purrs. "Be a good boy and lay down on that table for me." Dick holds his head in pain before going limp. He then starts walking over to the table without a fight and lays down. "Good boy." She coos, locking his arms and legs into the restrains. Dick shakes his head, snapping out of it, and glares up at them.

"What, are you going to torture me? Just wait until the others find me!"

"Silly boy." Ra's states, walking up to him. "You see…you possess important information that we need… _all_  of the League's secret identities…their weaknesses…all of the heroes for that matter…the Detective has taught you well. We knew better than to try to capture the man himself…but, you see…we know his greatest weakness…his  _only_ weakness…is  _you_." Dick's eyes widen as Lex approaches the retrained bird with a helmet that was connected to the massive computer.

"You will be the downfall of not only the Justice League; but the entire hero community." The Brain states, cruising over to the computer to join Vandal.

"You won't get away with this!" Dick growls, starting to thrash against the restraints.

"No one knows you are here. We already have." Lex smirks, about to place the helmet on the bird. A shuriken suddenly flies out of the shadows, slicing Lex's hand. Lex drops the helmet, grunting in pain as he holds his hand to stop the bleeding.

"I have business with the bird first." Slade states, stepping out of the shadows. Klarion glares over at him.

"How did you get here?"

"You honestly thought I would just let you get away with my prize? I planted a tracker on your pet." Klarion hisses in rage, starting to search his familiar's collar. Sure enough, there was a small, blinking tracker. He rips it off, crushing it in his hand.

"You'll pay for that!" Before he could attack, a shadow materializes next to the witch boy, forming a muzzle over his mouth. Raven floats out of the darkness, flinging up a shield just as Klarion shoots a burst of energy at her. Noticing her appearance, the others quickly set their eyes to the shadows as the two sources begin to send bursts of energy at each other. Starfire joins the brawl, sending her green energy bolts at the witch boy as well. Klarion sets up a force shield, blocking the attack from behind. He rips off the shadowy muzzle, muttering a spell. Teek'l grows in size, growling viciously as the giant cat lunges at Starfire.

Ocean-Master whips out his Neptune's Trident just as a whip made from water comes towards him. He uses the Trident to block the attack, absorbing the magic from it. Following the path that it came from, he sends the energy back towards where he believed Aqualad to be. However, a green bull comes running towards him from behind and tackles him to the ground. Aqualad jumps out from the shadows and whips out his water barrers as Ocean-Master gets back up.

"It's been a long time, Kaldur'ahm." Kaldur glares at the villain, his tattoos glowing light blue.

"We will not let you hurt our friend." He runs at his enemy, jumping to the side as Ocean-Master swings his Trident. Kid Flash speeds up to them, kicking Ocean-Master in the side.

The Brain spins around just in time to be slammed into by the green bull. Cyborg shoots his cannon at him as well, not letting up on the assault. The Brain quickly whips out his laser beams, shooting them at the two. They run off in different directions, making an arch around their target. They meet up in the middle. The bull then jumps up, midair, turning into a squirrel. Cyborg catches the small furry creature, using his momentum to fling it towards The Brain. Yet again, Beast Boy changes midair into a rhino, slamming the villain into the wall with a sickening crack.

Wally rushes at Vandal Savage, trying to kick him, but the villain catches his leg, flinging him aside. The massive computer monitor behind him glows pink before toppling over towards him as Jinx steps out of the shadows. Vandal dives out of the way, only to be met with Wally's fist.

Lex jumps back, having just avoided being slammed to the ground by Superboy. The clone roars with rage, running at him again. Lex smirks, flipping open a box of kryptonite. Conner winces, holding his head in pain, stumbling back. Just as Lex reaches into his pocket to pull out a gun, a green arrow shoots the box in his hand, sending it skidding away. Artemis sends a trick arrow towards it, engulfing it in foam. Conner smirks, feeling his strength returning as Artemis nocks another arrow, pointing it directly at Lex.

Queen Bee looks around at all of her falling comrades, and starts to make her way towards the exit. Before she could make it, she gasps in shock, being lifted off the ground. Megan appears next to her, glaring. Before Queen Bee could say anything, the villainess cries out in pain as the martian brain blasts her.

Ra's blocks a batarang with his sword, awaiting the oncoming attacks. He jumps out of the way when a fist flies at his face. Bruce sweeps the feet out from under him, causing him to fall. However, instead of hitting the ground, Ra's flips out of the way. A line catches his leg, yanking him back. The two Bats run at him, both punching and kicking at him in unison. Ra's tries to block most of the attacks, but some still get through his defenses.

Robin drops down next to the concrete table, frowning when he saw that the one they were there to rescue was missing.  _Guys. Robin's gone. Miss Martian. Can you get a location on him?_  The bird asks through the mindlink Megan had established between all of them earlier.

 _Guys! A little help!_  Dick's voice calls out. Robin whips his head around to see Slade holding a knife to Dick's throat, smirking. The bird struggles in the mercenary's hold, wincing when the knife starts to draw blood. Robin glares, sending a birdarang directly at Slade's head. Slade blocks the projectile with the knife. Dick uses the opportunity to elbow his captor in the solar plexus. However, it didn't have the intended result. His blow hit only armor. Slade grins, grabbing the bird's arm and twists it behind him. He cries out in pain as Slade digs the blade into his shoulder. Robin whips out his bow staff, running at his arch enemy.

"Let him go, Slade!"

"I think not. You've clearly still got a lot to learn compared to this one…he nearly took out three members of this criminal organization by himself…he will make a wonderful apprentice."

"Pedo." Dick growls, ripping the knife out of his own shoulder and slices at the mercenary. Slade jumps out of the way, chuckling darkly.

"You see? He has so much more spunk than you."

"Shut up!" The two birds shout simultaneously, running at him. Dick throws the knife at Slade, who dodges. However, Robin anticipated his movements, slamming his bow staff into the mercenary's side. Slade stumbles to the side, grabbing onto the staff. He yanks the bird towards himself, only to have Dick roundhouse kick him in the head. As he falls to the ground, Robin smashes his staff into Slade's helmet for good measure. Dick pants exhaustedly, holding his fist out towards Robin.

"Totally asterous." Robin returns the smirk, fist-bumping him.

"I believe it was." Dick snickers before swaying slightly. Robin frowns, catching him. "Woah…don't push yourself…"

"Eh…'m good." Bruce walks up to the two just as Ra's falls to the ground with Batman hovering over him.

"I'll take it from here. The portal is still open for you and your team to return home." Robin nods, extending a hand.

"Thank you." Bruce nods, shaking his hand. Dick grins, wrapping both arms around the alternate bird, engulfing him in a side hug.

"Thanks for the backup! I was worried there for a few minutes…looks like Red X kept his word after all!" Dick mumbles, as Robin tenses slightly. "And remember the notes I gave you. Those words are law." Robin nods slowly as Bruce raises a curious eyebrow.

"Don't ask." Robin mutters, handing Dick over to the Bat. Dick beams up at him before collapsing from exhaustion. Bruce catches him, scooping him up. The bird disappears behind the Bats' cape before the two disappear into the shadows. Aqualad approaches Robin, having just finished off Ocean-Master with Kid Flash.

"Thank you for all of your assistance. Batman already called the Justice League. They are on their way now to collect the criminals." Robin nods, shaking the Atlantian's hand. "We could not have done it without your assistance."

"Anything to help out fellow heroes." Robin pulls out a yellow communicator with a 'T' printed on the front. "I'm not sure if this will work between dimensions…but keep it in case you ever find yourself in Jump City again."

"We will. Thank you, my friend. The same goes for you." Robin nods, turning back towards the unconscious Slade.

"We'll take Slade with us as well. Take care of Robin…he can be a bit of a handful…but he really is everyone's light…he helped remind me of that." Robin grins back at the Atlantian before kneeling down to tie Slade up. Megan hugs Starfire tightly as the two start to tear up.

"I will miss you, my fellow alien!" Starfire laments as Megan nods, sniffling.

"Hopefully we can write! I'll try to find a way to contact you from our dimension!"

"I will do the same, Friend!" Kid Flash walks up to Wally, crossing his arms.

"Guess you're not  _half_  bad." Wally smirks.

"Not bad yourself. And for the record…ask her out already…it's clear that she likes you." Kid Flash blushes looking away.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He mumbles before taking Jinx's hand and speeding through the portal.

"Titans! Let's move out!" Robin calls out as Cyborg helps him carry Slade through the portal. The Titans say the last of their good-byes before disappearing back through the portal. Aqualad looks back to the unconscious villains and smiles warmly.

"It appears that we have made new friends." Artemis nods in agreement.

"Yeah…it's nice having extra backup for a change."

* * *

Several days later, Robin sits down in the conference room across from Batman, raising an eyebrow. "You wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes…" Batman slips his cowl down, looking over at his adoptive son seriously. "It seems that we have a lot to talk about…and I have a lot to apologize for…" Robin's eyes widen in shock as he silently thanks Dick yet again for his help. Looks like he was right, again. Luckily, he had spent the last few days studying Dick's notes. He would finally be prepared for this conversation.

* * *

Dick sighs heavily, stretching out on the sofa in living room of Mount Justice. "I keep telling you guys that I'm  _fine_."

"Batman banned you from training for a week. It's only been three days." Artemis states, turning the page in her magazine. "None of us are going to face the wrath of the Bat to merely ease your boredom."

"I did have something that I wanted to ask you about, Robin." Megan asks shyly, sitting on the sofa next to Artemis. Dick glances over at her curiously, pushing his sunglasses up.

"Sure. What's up, Miss M?"

"It's about what we saw…when Klarion put you under that spell…it was only a few flashes…but-"

"I don't want to talk about it." Dick snaps, sitting up on the sofa. She looks down sadly.

"I'm sorry…"

"It's nothing personal, Miss M. You guys shouldn't have even seen that." With that, he gets up, starting to head out of the room. "Guess I'm going to take a nap…sadly, that's one of very few 'Bat-approved' activities." He disappears into the hall that led to the sleeping quarters, causing the martian to look to Wally nervously.

"Is he angry with me?"

"Nah." Wally waves his hand dismissively. "It just means that he's not ready to talk about his past…when he's ready, he'll tell us all…until then, we respect his privacy and support him…you have to understand…Gotham is a _bad_  city…most of the villain's we've faced are  _nothing_  compared to the ones he sees on a daily basis. There's no way anyone can survive in that city without several scars." Artemis nods in agreement. "Just let him get some rest. We all know he needs it. He pushes himself too hard."

"Alright…" Megan smiles weakly before floating towards the kitchen. "Do you think he would like it if I made him some brownies?" Wally nods, smiling warmly.

"He would like that a lot…we should make him some hot chocolate too! It's his favorite! I'll help you!" Wally leaps off the sofa, heading into the kitchen to assist her. At least with the Light finally in custody, things finally seemed to be returning to normal.


End file.
